Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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MLRG vs VFMO: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, MLRG returned +14.5% to VFMO's +13.0%; 21% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets: $1.3bn on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA ETF, and $1.9bn on Oct 31, 2026 for Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF.

At a glance
+14.5%
MLRG total return, 1 year
+13.0%
VFMO total return, 1 year
0.03%
MLRG expense ratio
0.13%
VFMO expense ratio

Pair scorecard

MLRG costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.5 points.

MLRG vs VFMO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureMLRGVFMO
Return
Total return, 1 year+14.5%+13.0%
Drawdown
Below its high14.2%, high on Jun 30, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksMSCI USA IndexNo index, actively managed
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.03%0.13%
Net assets, MLRG as of Nov 3, 2026 and VFMO as of Oct 31, 2026$1.3bn$1.9bn
Holdings
Holdings in common21%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund36.5%9.4%

Method

Risk and return

Feb 23, 2018 to Oct 30, 2026 · 453 weekly returns
MLRG VFMO
Return
Total return edge VFMO (slight) +198.3% +203.1%
Annualized edge Tie +13.4% +13.6%
Price return edge VFMO +160.2% +179.4%
Risk
Volatility edge MLRG 18.5% 22.9%
Max drawdown edge MLRG (slight) −33.2% −35.7%
Downside capture 99.0% 105.5%
Beta 0.98 1.13
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge MLRG 0.62 0.55
Sortino edge MLRG 0.89 0.80
Treynor 0.120 0.112
Calmar edge MLRG (slight) 0.40 0.38
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.5% a year −0.3% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.31 −0.10
Information ratio −0.15 0.11
Tracking error 5.2% 10.3%

Each against its own benchmark: MLRG against PBUS, Sep 29, 2017 to Oct 30, 2026; VFMO against IWV, Feb 23, 2018 to Oct 30, 2026.

Reading

From Feb 2018 to Oct 2026, VFMO returned slightly more: +203.1% to +198.3%. MLRG swung less: 18.5% to 22.9%. MLRG fell slightly less at its worst: −33.2% to −35.7%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: MLRG vs VFMO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureMLRGVFMOEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+198.3%+203.1%VFMO (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+13.4%+13.6%TieTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+160.2%+179.4%VFMOPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility18.5%22.9%MLRGSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation12.9%15.8%MLRGLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−33.2%−35.7%MLRG (slight)Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture93.3%112.3%Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture99.0%105.5%Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.981.13Not an edgeHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.920.81Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.620.55MLRGReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.890.80MLRGReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1200.112Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.400.38MLRG (slight)Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkPBUSIWVThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.5% a year−0.3% a yearNot significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.31−0.10Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−4.0% to +2.9%−7.0% to +6.4%Includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.150.11Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error5.2%10.3%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 453 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

21%

By the books each fund has filed, MLRG and VFMO hold 21% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

21% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first MLRG VFMO
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 1.21% 1.07%
MICRON TECHNOLOGY 1.48% 0.88%
JOHNSON & JOHNSON 0.98% 0.73%
EXXONMOBIL HOLDINGS CORP 1.13% 0.58%
MERCK & CO INC 0.55% 0.71%
ELI LILLY 1.73% 0.52%
CISCO SYSTEMS INC 0.62% 0.49%
APPLIED MATERIAL INC 0.47% 0.88%
APPLE 7.48% 0.45%
CATERPILLAR INC 0.44% 0.64%
LAM RESEARCH 0.44% 0.79%
PALO ALTO NETWORKS 0.44% 0.71%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in MLRG
NVIDIA 7.29%
MICROSOFT 5.64%
AMAZON.COM INC 3.72%
BROADCOM INC 2.30%
META PLATFORMS CLASS A 2.09%
ALPHABET CLASS C 2.00%
TESLA INC 1.75%
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO 1.38%
Only in VFMO
Moderna Inc 0.60%
Southern Copper Corp 0.43%
Millicom International Cellular SA 0.40%
HF Sinclair Corp 0.33%
Iovance Biotherapeutics Inc 0.31%
ImmunityBio Inc 0.30%
SiTime Corp 0.30%
DigitalOcean Holdings Inc 0.29%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

MLRG iShares MSCI USA ETF VFMO Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF
Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF
What it is Tracks an index Actively managed
Total return, 1 year +14.5% +13.0%
Its benchmark over the same days +14.3% (PBUS) +14.8% (IWV)
Gap to its benchmark +0.2 pts vs PBUS −1.8 pts vs IWV
Expense ratio 0.03% 0.13%
Already in the S&P 500 95.6% 43.1%
Holdings 514 697
Net assets, MLRG as of Nov 3, 2026 and VFMO as of Oct 31, 2026 $1.3bn $1.9bn
Former ticker ILCB none

MLRG and VFMO on the fields both publish, as of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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About each fund
MLRG

MLRG tracks an index. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned +14.5% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Nov 3, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 514 positions, with the top ten at 36.5%.

VFMO

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned +13.0% with distributions reinvested, against +14.8% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.

VFMO is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.13% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 43% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 697 positions, with the top ten at 9.4%. It sat 14.2% below its high of Jun 30, 2026 on Nov 4, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, MLRG or VFMO?
In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MLRG returned +14.5% and VFMO +13.0%.
Which is cheaper, MLRG or VFMO?
MLRG is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do MLRG and VFMO overlap with the S&P 500?
By their latest filed holdings, 96% of MLRG and 43% of VFMO by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
Other comparisons
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ETFIQ, MLRG against VFMO, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/mlrg-vs-vfmo

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